On the evening of April 17th, in a debate held in Montreal, the leaders of Canada's four major federal political parties faced off for the second night in a row, attempting to win voter support before early voting begins this weekend.
The debate began with host Steve Paikin posing the core issue of this election: Trump and his comprehensive tariff policies.
Source: CTV News
All parties stated that Canada should continue to resist tariffs and demonstrate a tough stance against U.S. President's attempts at economic domination and threats, but Liberal Party leader Mark Carney (Mark Carney) and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre (Pierre Poilievre) had different opinions on "how to stand firm against Trump," attempting to differentiate themselves.
Carney said: "The U.S. president is seeking to fundamentally reshape the global trade system, so Canada's response must start from 'demonstrating its own economic sovereignty and strength.'" Throughout the debate, Carney repeatedly tried to steer the discussion back to Canadian-American relations.
Poilievre, however, claimed that although he would continue some existing policies to respond to Trump's economic aggression, such as maintaining retaliatory tariffs, he would also promote tax cuts, reduce red tape, and expedite resource development approvals "to truly stand on solid ground against Trump."
Carney: "I am different from them"
It is worth noting that the positions of the leaders during the debate were prearranged, with Poilievre standing on the far left, next to Carney.
During the debate, Poilievre repeatedly challenged Carney directly, while Carney initially seemed to deliberately avoid eye contact with him. Later, Carney sarcastically commented that Poilievre might be at a loss, "after all, he spent the last few years attacking Trudeau and the carbon tax, but they are no longer here." He reiterated this statement later.
Poilievre, on the other hand, constantly emphasized that Carney was just paving the way for the "fourth term of the Liberal Party" and was not a representative of change.
Source: CTV News
Singh and Blanchet interjected and took advantage of opportunities
In a situation where their poll support was on the edge, Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), and Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois (BQ), despite having low participation, still had moments of brilliance.
Singh frequently interrupted during the verbal sparring between Carney and Poilievre, even breaking the "no props" rule by holding up six fingers to mock Poilievre for building only six houses during his tenure managing housing affairs.
Blanchet fiercely attacked Carney, stating that although he claimed to be different from Trudeau and called himself a "crisis management expert," "where was he during Brexit?" and questioned what exactly Carney negotiated on issues like tax havens in the past.
Cost of living and public safety become focal points
On subsequent topics such as cost of living, climate change, and public safety, leaders also attempted to address voters and outline their policies.
On the housing issue, Poilievre directly pointed out that he had a "specific plan" to help young people realize their dream of home ownership. Carney responded that it was precisely because of the housing and cost-of-living crisis that he decided to enter federal politics, "hoping to genuinely solve the problem."
When discussing climate change, Singh emphasized it as an "absolute priority," stating that both young people who view it as a crisis and older generations who miss the days without air conditioning can deeply resonate with it.
On the topic of security, the host asked each leader to name "the greatest security threat to Canada." Poilievre answered "rampant national crime waves"; Carney answered "China"; Singh answered "illegal guns and drugs"; Blanchet said that Canada lacks self-sufficiency and is overly dependent on the United States.
Source: CTV News
The final battle before early voting
This debate was seen as a critical turning point, marking the official start of the campaign sprint period. With the holiday beginning on Friday, the performance in the debate may become a hot topic around dinner tables over the next few days.
In the previous French-language debate, polls showed the Liberal Party leading the Conservative Party by five percentage points, with both sides evenly matched among middle-aged voters.
However, prior to these two debates, none of the major parties had released complete party platforms or detailed funding sources for major commitments, prompting skepticism from some voters. The Green Party, though not invited, had already released its electoral platform in advance.
Right-wing media disrupts proceedings; Q&A session canceled due to safety concerns
It is noteworthy that after the conclusion of the Thursday debate, when other party leaders were preparing to question Carney about his assets and blind trust, news suddenly broke in the press room: the Q&A session was temporarily canceled due to "security reasons."
Michel Cormier, executive director of the Leaders' Debates Commission, confirmed this to reporters, stating that the organizers "could not guarantee that this session could be conducted under appropriate conditions."
Cormier did not provide further details and refused to answer journalists' questions.
CTV chief political correspondent Mike Le Couteur (Mike Le Couteur) stated that the Montreal police had arrived on the scene and additional security measures had been taken. He revealed that after the committee decided to cancel the Q&A session, there was a dispute between right-wing media personnel and the organizers.
Several right-wing media personnel were "clearly trying to make their presence felt in the media center," insisting they had the right to question party leaders and criticized the system as "undemocratic." Previously, these media outlets were criticized for "hogging" the questioning opportunities during the Q&A session following the French-language debate on Wednesday.
Le Couteur explained: "Under normal circumstances, journalists take turns asking questions — one English-speaking, one French-speaking, alternating. But these so-called 'journalists' rushed ahead and tried to control the pace of the event 20 to 30 minutes before the debate ended."
The commission also received criticism for giving too many questioning opportunities to right-wing media during the Q&A session following the Wednesday evening debate.
In an interview earlier on Thursday, Cormier told Capelos that the commission issued certifications to these media outlets to avoid being sued.
New Democratic Party leader Singh decided to hold his own independent media Q&A session and temporarily changed the time and location. Liberal Party leader Carney, Conservative Party leader Poilievre, and Bloc Québécois leader Blanchet have all confirmed that they will not hold their own Q&A sessions on Thursday evening.
Source link:
- https://www.ctvnews.ca/federal-election-2025/article/party-leaders-face-off-in-english-for-second-federal-leaders-debate/
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494667661943603739/
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